Single-parent homes: Britain second only to Latvia in EU

Official figures show that the percentage of single-parent families in Britain
is second only to Latvia, as a study by Policy Exchange, a think tank, finds
that in more than one in three lone-parent households the mother or father
is unemployed

The study found that in 650,000 of Britain’s 1.8 million single-parent households the mother or father is unemployedPhoto: Alamy

Children are more likely to be brought up by single parents in Britain than in any other major country in Europe.

The proportion of lone parent families in the UK is second only to Latvia, official European Union figures show.

Almost a quarter - 24 per cent - of under-18s are being brought up by a single mother or father in Britain, compared to 15 per cent in Germany and 13 per cent in Spain.

The disclosure, in figures released by Eurostat, the EU’s data office, follows warnings that single parents are “less effective” at raising children than married couples.

It comes as a report warns that the large number of single parent households, coupled with the high proportion which do not include a working adult, means that they should be an “essential” target of the Government’s welfare reforms.

The study, by Policy Exchange, an influential think tank, found that in 650,000 of Britain’s 1.8 million single-parent households - more than one in three - the mother or father is unemployed.

It also showed that the average lone-parent household claimed twice as many benefits as households in which children are being brought up by co-habiting couples.

Helping unemployed single parents to find jobs would significantly boost the economy and aid the Coalition’s attempts to cut Britain’s benefits bill, the study concluded.

Matthew Tinsley, the author of the report, said: “Because there are so many lone parent households we have to be concerned about the unemployment among them.”

He added: “All parents especially, young single mothers, need support. It is right that the government extended free childcare.

“However, it is also right to ask more from people to find a job. Simply relying on benefits when you are physically and mentally able to work is not fair.

“Policymakers must do more to help the two thirds of a million unemployed single parents find a job. Such action would significantly boost the UK economy and help find further savings in the welfare budget.”

Eurostat’s figures, originally released in June, show that 24 per cent of children were living with a single parent in Britain in 2012 - a four per cent increase compared to the previous year. Within the European Union the only country with a higher proportion of children being brought up by lone parents was Latvia, where almost 29 per cent of under-18s were recorded as living only with their mother or father.

Policy Exchange’s report, Parenting Alone, which is published on Friday, states that “understanding and addressing” the reasons behind the high proportion of lone parent households and the high levels of unemployment among them should be a “key focus” of ministers.

The study found that in almost 60 per cent of cases children are being brought up by single mothers or fathers as a result of family breakdown. It warned that high rates of unemployment among single parent households create a “significant loss to the economy” and add “significant pressure” to the welfare system.

The living standards of children being brought up by single parents also tend to be lower than those in households with co-habiting couples, the report said.

A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: “The employment rate for lone parents is the highest it has ever been, and over a million lone parents are now in work. The number of lone parents claiming Income Support is also at its lowest level for 30 years.

“But we are not complacent - we are determined to help more lone parents take their first steps into work, because we know that work is the best route out of poverty.”